UnInvited
by Moonbeam Great Goddess of the Night
Summary: Powerful Shogun Uchiha Itachi is famed for his firm rule and womanizing ways. No female can resist him. One day at a small shrine he glimpses an exotic miko,Sakura,but she rejects him outright. Now he is haunted,and will do anything to have her. Anything.
1. Shogun of the Sun

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Moonbeam: I would appreciate if you favorite this story, that you review it also. Either that, or I won't keep writing...This goes with all my other stories. It's not worth it to keep writing, and not get any responses. That's all I have to say. So please _**R&R.**_

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((Chapter 1: Shogun of the Sun))

Ruby eyes stared lazily through dark lashes, stoic and unmoving, taking in all the slender around him as he lay in bed. Pillows of shadow-night black purred against his firm body as he moved to lay on his side, the silk touch barely registering to him. Sheets the color of plum wine hung loosely around his naked waist, revealing the muscled chest and powerful shoulders of a warrior. Locks of onyx were strew across the silk cushions, rivaling them in shear softness. The dark locks blended into the pillows sheen, and color, like the clouds on a night sky. Full lips were drawn in an emotionless frown, surrounded by a cruelly beautiful face staring from his window into the night, and gazing at the full moon.

He turned his head to glance at his chambers, the gold and plum bed hangings fell in satin, air waterfalls around the columns of his bed. Drawn screen doors were painted by ancient mythology scenes, however were covered by black satin curtains to keep light or shadows out. They were actually threaded with a thin, metal that acted as stitching, but also was laced with very deadly poisons, and armed to the many alarm systems. No intruders were coming through these walls. The furniture was made of was made of an exotic wood, honey-toned in color. Various weapons were displayed, but their edges or tools were blunt. It wouldn't do for an invited guest to assassinate the shogun from his own arms collection in his personal chambers. The cold eyes then turned to the nude slumbering woman by his side. She was a beauty, skin of creamy ivory, a thin face, full breasts that could fill any man's hand, narrow hips, slightly protruding waist, leggy, long dark hair, narrow black eyes...

Just like my ususal bed partners, every once in a while they would present me with one with a different splash of color, perhaps in their eyes, maybe a chocolate brown or a sleepy green, murky in dark eyes. Maybe one with a slightly shorter hair length or maybe the color of a lighter brown, but that was it. She was nothing special, her face and name already blending with all the rest that had been before her. If I remembered correctly she had been a concubine from the batch of new girls in the harem of the emperor's palace. Oh, how he loved to annoy his baby brother like this. It was not the females that mattered, it was that he had taken something from his dear little Sasu-chan and he couldn't do anything about it. I found it amusing at times, how my little brother was supposed to be the sun goddess's most blessed, when I myself, as shogun really reaped her generous blessings.

Plus I was a man that found his carnal desires to be a bit more stronger than that of a regular male, and he prided himself on his stamina and virility. I knew the rumors that circulated about court, in the peasant towns, brothels ,and even the shrines. I was young, successful, ruthless, the most powerful and wealthy man in the entire country. Plus I knew myself to be very physically attractive, and topped with my sexual prowess, I could make any of my one-time lovers weep with need and yearn for me the rest of their lives for all I cared. Once my satisfaction was met, no matter how many woman it took, I didn't want anything to do with those chattering birds, they irritated me so. I preferred my solitude, nor did I entertain the idea of starting a family. I had no interest in relationships or courtship, just a quick roll in the sheets to satisfy my urges. After all, I was the most powerful man in the world, why shouldn't I sate myself on all the soft woman flesh I could command and seduce to my bed? They all came crawling willingly, and many said they were versed or taught in the art of sex and seduction.. Yet none of them seemed to be able to keep up with me in the bedroom. And if not in there, what luck could they have running my household?

If I were to ever marry, my wife would need to not only satisfy me in bed, but also keep the household in tact and bare my heirs. There were accounts, sums, contracts, market dealing, and other difficult tasks that most woman couldn't comprehend, let alone handle all with a stern grip. There were only a few woman I saw as honorable or intelligent, one being the Dowager Empress, his mother Uchiha Mikoto. She had held reason over her usually aggressive and grumpy husband, the late emperor, Uchiha Fugaku. Now there was a woman I held in the highest of honor, save the very illuminated Amaterasu, patron goddess of my family.

My mother had been my father's voice of reason, and though beautiful in a darksome way; and always softly polite, there was a firm edge to her demeanor that had given her the ability to rise to the role of empress. She had been the backbone of policy in the audience chamber when the emperor had died, and even now as she grew older, she directed my little brother towards the best decisions that he could make, be them only minor, menial things. The shogun ran the show, and everyone knew it.

I sighed and looked at the moon as it rose further into the sky. They would come and retrieve my most recent conquest soon, since only my legal wife was allowed to say with me in my bed chamber all night long. And just as I had predicted there was a discreet knock at the door. I sighed in agitation.

"Enter" I gave the order in a monotone bark. In came my personal attendant and two guards. I waved a hand towards the slightly drooling, sleeping heap of female flesh clustered in my good silk.

"I'm done with her, take her away."

The guards leered at her naked body, lewdly looking like they were going to fondle her, but my glare of disdain stopped them from groping the sleeping woman. I would have none of that. They could be perverts on their own time, not mine. If anything their activities were not to interfere with my social or political standing, since such behavior by my staff may have be looked down upon. If I was to maintain conttrol my servants must function in manerable fashion when they were on the clock. Best keep their perverse wishes to themselves and enact them away from the noble eyes of their most revered shogun. Then the damned female started to wake as the guards lifted her naked body from the sheltering silk, threw her clothes at her, as they set her right on her feet with a great shake. The thing looked disoriented, pathetically confused, as if she was surprised about what was happening.

"My lord, what is the meanin-" Already, even awake, this nuisance was bothering me. I fixed her with a red stare, full of boredom and mocking. I spoke calmly, my indifference I imagine was like a silent snake that struck in every word that fell from my lips.

"Don't you, you whore? You were meant to be a bed partner for a night, nothing more. But you couldn't even satisfy me for a quarter of that time. You willingly gave yourself to me. It's your own fault for believing this was anything more." The girl looked taken aback, speechless, but thenn moisture started to build up in her pretty, little eyes. I sniffed in irritation, here came the tears.

"But I was a virgin ,I thought you meant to make me your wife!" I sneered slightly at her, not really losing my cold mask, taking in her weeping little pointed face in mild disgust. How could I ever make such a whiney and stupid creature my bride? I chuckled without mirth at her expense, her cheeks heating in hurt and embarrassment.

"Why would I make such a little girl like you my wife? Such an honor is not meant for such a lowly thing like you. I don't care if you were a virgin or not. Your usefulness has ended. Guards get this pitiful mongrel out of my sights." I than turned from her broken form, still only half covered by her clothes as my perverted guards took her crying form away. I lay down in my cool sheets stiffly.

"Imperial General Uchiha-sama, is there anything else I can do for you this night?" came the serene voice of Akira. He always seemed to have a calm about him that was much of my own. He was strict with the household servants, but had a warmth in his heart for those deserving of it. That was something we didn't share. I had never been able to truly connect with anyone, save a few members on my close family, perhaps out of fear or disgust. Most men would believe that fear was a fault, a vulnerability meant to be extorted.

For the most part it was, but to me, in battle at least, fear held its purpose when it was called for. I was vastly unacquainted with it in battle, save when I was novice just starting to fight, but in life I was a coward. I have the ambition, power, wealth, breeding, intelligence needed to succeed at anything I set my mind to. Yet I was a true coward at not being able to make true lasting relationships.

I only admitted this to myself, because woman always set out to claim me as a toy. So why not turn them into puppets, my own dolls, playthings to break, use, and throw away as I pleased? It was either be used, or be in control. I liked being in control, no matter how lonely it was being at the top. I longed for the flesh, not the person inside of a beautiful body. It was too annoying to deal with both aspects of a woman. Why should I waste my time in trying to woo both, if I can just take what I want? No one had ever stooped me. Even with their bodies, most woman were a waste of space, meant to only be little dolls and breeding stock.

"No, Akira that is all" My attendant bowed deeply in the silence to me as he turned away and exited out of the open doorway.

I gazed at the sky again. I did not care if I had shamed her with my advances, the woman's concerns weren't mine to worry about. Let her snivel and be passed around to the men for all I cared. There was a hollowness though that made my chest ache at time. It was nothing medical either. I had been examined by many doctors and they had all said nothing was wrong, that I was in perfect health for a twenty three year old. At odd times though, mostly in quick silences like the one now, when I had only my mind to occupy myself, it would appear. The almost tangible feeling that something was missing, a piece of my life that wasn't there. That I hadn't found it, that my life wasn't whole. I couldn't place where the throbbing actually came from, but it annoyed and confused me. I didn't understand it at all.

I yawned in boredom, and bunked down to go to sleep. Suddenly the sheets felt ice cold against my body. He fell asleep not to long after that in the moon's light, its beams even vying to kiss his seductive skin. And the ache disappeared for a while, buried but not gone, till it would reappear the next morning.

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I sat on my throne in the same way I would lie in bed, with the same inhuman poise as seen on the battle field, but with the air of a dominate calm, a quiet superiority that everyone could feel just fine on their own. The matters were uneventfully small this morn, but than again, save battle or sex, most things in my life did bore me. It had been the challenge to acquire the seat of power that had driven me to do anything to attain it, that forced me to become so ruthless in war, so vicious in politics, so inanely alone in personal affairs. And now that the support, the rank, the power had been won, it had turned into any ordinary hollow desk job even with the large amount of respect it entailed to me. Battles, or at least real fights, didn't come along often, so I =rarely found a challenge. And sex well, that lately had been losing it's appeal.

When I had been an untrained youth, back when I was truly becoming a warrior a woman's sultry promise was the most mysterious and tempting of rewards and fantasies. It was when I had lead my first victory in battle, just before Sasuke turned eleven, that my father arranged for one of the best courtesans in his harem to lay with me. I was fifteen at the time, a rookie upstart who had what seemed like a god's luck and a cool practicality even out of battle. The Shogunate had just established itself in power, but my father had still possessed much of the power our dynasty had held for centuries. Our family ran deep in Japan's history, back to when the great-grandson of Amaterasu had taken the throne and became our first emperor. Well the night I lost my virginity and became a man, was perhaps one of my more memorable moments I savor in my life. She was gentle with me, perhaps a bit cruel to keep me from releasing at times, but it had been a very eye-opening and pleasurable night.

From then on I learned all I could from her, my dear Kasumi, who would later become a good ally and friend in the imperial court, and a well-rounded teacher in the arts of the body and pleasure. I learned a lot from her, and trusted her as a good friend until she died just after I became shogun at age eighteen. She saved me quite a few times thanks to her connections. It may have seemed strange for a noble, a decedent of an emperor, an aspiring shogun to associate so closely with a glorified prostitute, but she had always be loyal and useful.

I shook my head from such sentimental rumblings, and went back into reality as my advisors went about reading the days business. From Kasumi I had learned the vast amount of ways of pleasure, and how to attain it for myself. Now I used that same primitive sense to go about my job. My instincts always lead me well, but it was the ability for my mind to calculate strategies swiftly that truly made me superior to my opponents. This behavior applied to everything in my life from my intimate world or to my politics I had to always maintain my head, stay three steps in front of everyone to achieve victory. The usual news was brought in: dams needing to be repaired to preserve the slowly disappearing water, people were in need of funds, ceremonies to attend, people to charm, meetings between the daimyos... The list went on and on.

" Tell Orochimaru-san to take up his request to commence the building of two thousand rooms to expand his compound with the Son of Heaven. Surely His Holiness can handle signing the permit for some buildings? Just have the final draft sent over to me before the emperor signs it."

I wanted to rub my temples, my head was killing me. I had been receiving these headaches for the last few months, and no one seemed to know what was wrong with me. No herbal remedies seemed to be relieving any of the tension. My eyes had become slightly foggy at the edges of my vison at odd times, which greatly worried me. Pain I could deal with, not the loss of my eyesight. My advisors were truly annoying at times, they just provoked a very violent urge in me at times. Though I never showed it, they were another nuisance I didn't wish to deal with. Another one of their voices broke through my slightly aggravated reverie.

"Your most imperial commander, we will need to journey to the Shideareyanagi-Himekami-Ichidou (The Weeping Willow Princess shrine) near Koyasen to pay our respects to honor the noble Sukuna-Biko-Na-Kami since the rains haven't been falling as frequently as they have been in the last five years." I narrowed my eyes at the idea. Sukuna-Biko-Na was a minor god, but was a vast patron of rain and medicine. If we were to displease him, not only drought would be possible as his punishment at the lack of respect, but also disease. We were due to make a sacred trip to the smaller shrines anyway, even the Willow-Princess temple.

If I remembered correctly the shrine was medium size, but had little visitors due to the very steep mountain terrain that surrounded it, being it was near Koyasen. It was headed by a few priests, but consisted mostly of sisters, female monks who came to devote their lives to Shinto or mikos, young shrine maidens meant to serve the temple until they were married. The journey there would also take a good amount of days, but it would also offer a change of scenery that was much needed in my view. And though all my reasoning made perfect sense to me in the rational part of my brain at the moment, yet when I heard the shrine's name I had felt the ache in my chest throb only for second. Than the oddest compulsion over came me to just comply with my chief of staff's suggestion. It was almost as if what I was seeking...I shook my head at the vary idea and didn't wait to ponder this peculiar phenomenon further.

"We need to pay the deity the just respect he deserves. To ensure we achieve the rains we need, I will pray to the sun goddess to ensure she knows of our plans. We'll head out tomorrow morning for the shine, give it will take almost two weeks if we travel swiftly enough. There won't be need for any parade or ceremony before we go. The offering should be kept quiet, given the sacredness of the situation. I'll leave you all in charge of making the appropriate changes and accommodations. Now let's move on to the more menial task shall we?" I sighed as I leaned back into my chair and waited for more of the petitions. This trip couldn't come sooner. The ache stayed all day.

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(Within the mountains of Koyasen)

The mountain air was crisp and fresh as it blew through the trees, rustling the foliage about the stone pathway. There was a light scraping sound of sweeping as a young miko went about her duties, her job: cleaning off the local pathway to the shrine. The foliage was so green, the woman imagined it could rival the sea in color. At least that was what she imagined, as she had never been to the sea. She sometime daydreamed like that. She was alone this morning, the other maidens having pushed such laboring chores on her in pursuit of greeting guests or taking offerings to the gods.

Why did they think she was so weak, so much of a push-over?

Perhaps it stemmed from their childhood together, when she had been slightly more timid and scrawny than the others. But she didn't mind the chore, in fact she was rather fond of sweeping the path. It gave her time away from the other girl's insistent gossip, and complaining. Temple life wasn't for everyone. But she found it rather peaceful, so unlike the world she had existed in before her family sold her to the temple.

Viridian eyes smiled into the crystal blue morning, a slight grin formed on pink lips. The shrine was truly a sanctuary, from the violence of the outside world and the havoc most men brought with them. Even as a child she has seen what chaos could be wrought by others, what greed could do to people meant to care for those who needed them. A sad smile danced on her lips before they returned to their usually serious frown.

Yes, she had no patience to deal with such _unpractical_ people.

It was annoying to deal with people who held to compassion or mercy for others, merely obsessing about themselves. It was greatly disheartening to the young miko, to see how humanity went about its existence. Here at least she thought she could do some good for the world and people, helping the injured and with the daily chores. So while the others dreamed of marrying a handsome, rich nobleman to escape the temple, she only wished to stay here. It was a pace where greed it seemed was greatly lacking. So yes she would remain here if she could, if not to help the people she had come to see as family, to devout herself to the gods, than to just simply allow herself to breath in this peaceful, sweet mountain air every morning for the rest of her life. Suddenly her face scrunched in confusion, a look of sheer skeptical bewilderment on her beautiful face before she brushed such notions out of her head as she continued with her chores.

Why had she thought for a moment the **sun** had been _smiling _at her?

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, anything of Japan and so forth. This applies for all chaps.**

**Note: I own my ideas, plotline, and story! **


	2. Piety

**Important Terms**:

Bushiva- A female "saint" in Buddhism that has reached the utmost step of enlightenment.

Guji-Title of a high priest or monk in a Shinto temple

Mikoshi-A portable shinto shrine meant to be temporary. Usually used in parades, it can be packed quickly and used by the nobility when traveling.

Yomi- The Japanese Underworld

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Chapter 2: _Piety_

_**Sakura~**_

I opened my eyes quickly at the sound of the morning gong an hour before dawn. No matter who you were, or what your role was, all of the holy staff were kept on a strict schedule. I numbly rose from my bedding, a thin mat and blanket, and quickly dressed into my priestesses robes. I was always the first one to rise, but my recent turn to insomnia over the last few weeks had caused my body to function mostly on autopilot.

I combed my hair, five strokes per side as ususal, put away my bedding, cleansed my face, put my long pink hair into a painful bun, and went on my way with a precise step into the female dormitories and closed my door calmly. All the while, the gong sounding was becoming more insistent, as my fellow "sisters" finally lazily rose from their slumber and were rushing about like chickens with their heads cut off trying to get ready. I looked at the controlled chaos that came alive around me, sleepy yawns, girlish exclamations about hair or skin, rumpled clothes. It would seem it was only I who had been troubled as of late. I blinked sardonically at the girls, and went on my way to the morning meeting and prayer with the head clergy and assignments for the day.

However, my observation, ironically enough, did not surprise me as much as it should have.

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The great head monk and priest of the shrine stood with his wooden staff, his wizened eyes looked at us over his great long, white beard. We stood in our designated spots in five long, strict lines in the central courtyard of the temple's inner sanctum. We were primarily a Shinto temple with Buddhist ties, bu also a nunnery and critical trading spot. It was run by a famed old captain from the Imperial army. Lord Yamamoto-Guji was a stern but just leader and priest, both devote and disciplined from his time in the imperial army. He had always been kind to me, when my relatives had come to give me freely into the temple and forever be its property. He had always been a good leader, and one of the men I could stand to be around. From past experiences I loathed the male gender with a passion, and had sworn them off even before I started my moon cycle.

A woman with lush dark hair tied in a braid with eyes of serene lake blue stood by him, his second in command and a famed oracle. Abbot Retsu could have been a high priestess in the shrines of many high gods, an oracle to the emperor himself even, but the local village near here had been her birth place, and she had wanted to stay close to her roots. The Abbess had been in a good marriage until her husband died in a bandit raid. It was said as she wept, her very soul cried to the gods, and having compassion for her plight, bestowed upon her heavenly powers to hear them.

Whatever their origins, her powers were a sacred and divine gift, ones to be cherished and honored. They were rare and unique, but the Abbess had been searching for an apprentice to teach her arts and pass on her title too. That had been a year ago, on my seventeenth birthday. I had always been sensitive to spirits and the earth, I had odd dreams and saw glimpses of things I could never make sense of. Gentle whispers before I fell asleep at night as the moon rose in the sky, sighs at first dawn, harsh cries in the stormy wind.

Ever since I had been sworn to the service of the temple, now being the temple's "property", the holy ground provided a buffer for the many images that often harassed my mind, and its aura put my heart mostly to rest. The Abbot interviewed and observed all the miko, but found only me to be the one to have potential. I began my classes the next day. She had taken me readily under her wing, and had made a maternal imprint on me, allowing my usually stoic demeanor to offer a smile every once in a while.

While I tried to hide from her favors, it was always clear who she favored among us. And though I was grateful for the attentions like a starved beggar at the first act of kindness, it did me little good socially with my fellow miko. Though I have been training for a year, I am not yet ready to become a full oracle. But it was enough for the others to further shun me. I had no family which meant no money, connections, or hope of a successful suitor. With my odd coloring, I was considered an outcast and at times called "demon" because of my green eyes.

As a child growing up in the temple, life had been hard but in order. There was a kind of peace in these mountains, a harmony written in the sky. Though I was tortured and isolated, except for a few people, I was in love with the land, with my faith and with my duty. The others could snub me all they liked, and though it is always painful, in my heart I know one day I may find a true place I can be accepted and be truly at home. I stood a little straighter as Lord Yamato-Guji began his normal morning speech.

"The rain has been lately lacking, the skies no longer rumble with the joy of the dragon's battle, their divine tails and talons no longer cracking and shin got bring us rain. Heaven's tears have not fallen as they should have this year. I wish to offer an offering to the gods . I can sense change is upon us, so stay true to your faith and go about your usually routines. The gods will be sure to see our faithfulness and finally grant us water again. That is why is very important for all of you to stay to you duties, and do not dwaddle! I have faith in all of you, and it is my sincerest wish that you continue today in good health and spirit. Do not disappoint me."

Had it been just me, or had the head priest been looking at me when he said "good health and spirit"? I closed my eyes and sighed. My fellows didn't need any more ammunition to shoot down my character. As we dispersed I prayed to the Light of Heaven, the great Amaterasu, to give me strength to make it through the next few days.

"Sakura, time for your lesson! Then you can go on your other duties." Came the Abbess's calm voice, like a soft lute.

"Yes, your Divine Ladyship." I bowed accordingly and spoke softly. She smiled quietly before heading toward her own rooms. I made to follow her, but kept a respectful distance for appearances. I looked at the unfeeling or spiteful eyes of all the girls, who stared at me in disgust or indifference as if I was a rotten snake in front of the bath chamber entrance. None would have me as their companion, though there were a few I was slightly more friendly with. I stared solidly in front of me, my back having twinges of pain.

I was truly alone here.

* * *

I sat scrubbing on my knees at the base of the stone temple stairs, with a toughened horse hair brush and pine scented cleaning water from the well. I sighed as my lower back cracked in discomfort, and I stretched momentarily to try and relieve my now growing back pains. Either the labor was becoming harder, or my body was growing more tired by the day. It seemed every night for the last two weeks my dreams had been haunted by strange images, and I had resorted to going without sleep for almost three days to try and escape their traitorous hold. The Abbess had heard of my plight had tried to give me the day to sleep and the nightly chores to try and help me gain some of my health back. I had gone to see the local doctor, but there was little he could do for me.

After a awhile even in resting in the day light had not shaken my haunting visions, so I had resorted to living without all my rest, and though it caused me great distress, I kept it from public knowledge. I went back to my old routine, saying the dreams had stopped, that I was well again. Thought she looked suspicious the kind Abbess let me back into my old schedule, and I had been trying to survive without all my sleep. Besides I could catch a few hours of sleep at night, no matter how little, because it seemed the sunlight had only urged the damned dreams on in both in their vividness and their pursuit of me.

I had given up trying the free myself from this new habit that had risen from out of the blue and to get on with my life. Though the other miko shunned or picked on me, I would rather live without sleep than be like them in anyway. I would not show weakness, would not take one faltering step if it lead to any conflicts or further taunts. So I rose everyday at the normal scheduled time, dressed as I always had, and gone about my duties without even a hinting of something wrong. Though I suffered in silence, I would rather have my condition kept quiet than publicly be humiliated or talked about more behind my back.

So I gritted my teeth and dealt with the sad reality fate had dealt me. After all I was surely used to it by now. As I brooded over my life, I heard the clambering of many horses, their hooves echoing as if they were an approaching army. I looked up just as three men, on handsome stallions, rode crudely up the stairs I had just worked so hard to clean. I gaped at their audacity, but glimpsed their fine garb, stoic bearings, and swords on their sides. I almost sighed in exasperation.

Ah, _nobles._ What were you to do with them?

Yet my curiosity soon out weighed my irritation, for the two men that had flanked their leader had been carrying the imperials flags of the royal dynasty symbol, the metal fan. I grumbled at another pain in my back, and went back to my scrubbing. Yet I couldn't help but wonder. What did the Imperial family want with the Willow-Princess temple, and why exactly had they come in such great haste?

* * *

**{Itachi}**

I bowed before my personal portable mikoshi of the Sun Goddess, my personal deity whom I honored above all others. The heady incense and thick air of the early morning swept through my tent flap with a slap of silk and glamour. My advisors had set everything up accordingly and all I had left to do was pray for safe trip and peaceful health. We had set out some two weeks ago for the many shrines and temples I need to pay homage at. Only here in my tent did I truly worship the divine. We were scheduled to reach the next Shinto shrine, the Willow-Princess temple, any day now, and it filled me with great anticipation and anxiousness the likes I hadn't seen outside battle. I tried not to dwell on the feeling, but it consumed me so, and the pain in my chest grew and my eyesight was still failing me.

Yet while I prayed to the one woman I would go on my knees for, I felt a soft almost sad sigh of a heavenly voice, the great shining smile of the sun so softly on me then, as if the cold tip of fate lay behind my neck. I sensed great amusement or mischief come from the essence yet I could not place the feeling. As I looked up to survey my surrounding to find a threat or cause of my discomfort, I almost jumped back in surprise.

Had the statue of the Lady of Heavenly Light, Amaterasu-kami, just _wink _at me?!

I got up briskly, bowed deeply and stepped out of my temporary accommodations as composed and cool as possible. I noted to myself as I mounted my stallion to never burn as much incense ever again. It did strange things to the mind.

* * *

_**Sakura~**_

I scrubbed the polish into the great Buddha statue, silence my own companion. It was almost time for me to retire, though I thought of my room as a mere torture chamber now a days without any sleep. Taking haven in the temple I set about polishing the Buddha and deities, but felt nothing as I worked to try and clear my troubled head. I felt my heart ache, and wished it could be my day off finally. Two days from now was when it would be, but it could not come fast enough. I almost turned from the statues, my task done, yet I hung back, thinking.

Finally I lit my own incense as an offering, and bowed till my head was to the ground. I knocked my forehead on the floor before the sacred alters, praying.

With all my heart I asked for a simple thing.

_Let me find peace._

I went quietly to bed then, though I knew the fate that awaited me as I got into my futon and pulled my one blanket over my head.

* * *

"_Things are coming along nicely I see. They'll meet soon wont they?" __It was as if a burst echoed from within my head, a sharp pain and then foggy waves of wooziness. _

_I knew than I had entered the same realm that had plagued me so horribly the past nights. It felt as if I was underwater, all movements restricted, the feeling of listlessly floating, how I could sharply hear, but not speak, not feel. The voices were speaking again, yet tonight I heard them clearer than ever before, and then the sense of otherworldliness, and the foreboding that came with it were starting to settle like icy chips in my gut. _

_I only experienced this type of sensation and different consciousness when I went into my oracle guided trance. I could not yet make the journey completely without Abbot Retsu's guidance, but I was often close enough to catch certain words and voices. But now it would seem my body by simply going to sleep had put me in a trance of some kind, one similar to when I practiced my oracle powers. _

"_Yes, they will meet epically, I'll make sure of that. He set out this morning, and I can't wait till he gets here. The man is finally having a sense of things to come. It took him long enough."_

"_Do they suspect anything?"_

"_The girl does most definitely, but the man is walking himself in circles, though he has an inkling"_

"_Poor Chi-chan, so blind and helpless. I forget he's human sometimes." The first voice sighed._

"_Yes, the boy can be down right stubborn and does know how to know when enough is enough. But still he's a good boy, he accomplishes his duties well, and he worships daily. He is one of my chosen for a reason you know."_

"_You're just saying that because you think he's handsome and have the natural need to gawk at that fine piece of ass." TheY chortled softly, and I blushed. Who were these woman?!_

"_Well I can't deny that I enjoy looking on such a man, and what a man he is. But if everything goes to plan, I wont gaze upon him the same way once he seals his vows with the other."_

"_So noble, my friend." There was no hiding the abrupt sarcasm in her voice. _

"_Well yes that too, but I mean have you looked at the girl? Can you not see how fragile, yet strong her heart is. Like a glass lily she blooms, yet she dares pick up a sword at the first battle. It's an much as amusing and a bit frightening how human hearts can turn out and the way their attitudes towards life are. She loves the earth, not mankind. She worships the jewels of rain that fall from the heavens, not the glimmering bobbles that the local laddies wear."_

" _Have you not seen her, so enlightened and attune, yet so unhappy and her souls cries in despair and for compassion. I followed the sorrowful thread many a year ago, and I've kept a close eye on this maiden. She has potential, and I have a soft spot for her. I've never seen one so pure, so sad, so alone in such a holy place yet so dedicated. How could I not favor such a future bushiva." The first woman's voice was calm and attentive to the words she spoke, and I could almost taste the sincerity in them. However her companion sniffed._

"_Oh would you stop with your favor for the girl already! I've heard nothing but her in almost every conversation since last year. I mean yes she upholds her duty, but still. You act as if she were some new goddess or something! I don't know if this plan of yours is going to work." The second voice huffed, while the first voice sighed in passive aggravation. _

"_Come now, she is a good girl, and has the beauty in both her enlightenment and soul to bewitch him. He will fall for her and she for him, wholly and truly, all passion and strength. They will complete each other." The gentle voice spoke serenely, and with a sudden fondness that warmed yet shocked me. Who and what was it these great voices spoke of? And why was I hearing them?_

"_What you really mean is, you can't wait for her body and spirit to drive him wild with unquestionable lust and obsession while she denies him at every turn. All the while he will come to love her so much he can't live without her, and he will finally pull that stick out from his ass, topple off his high horse; and worship the ground she walks on and answers her every whim!" _

_This voice was more teasing, less elegant, but still charming, with a sort of wildness to it, though still definitely feminine. The more mature woman's voice laughed quite beautifully, like the koto on the mountain's breeze and delicate as the faint sunlight filtering through the windows at dawn. I savored their laughter, though their conversation was too confusing for me to follow._

"_Something like that, yes. It's about time that boy had some humility knocked into him. He's a good man, but his position has gotten to his arrogant head, no matter how cool he seems. His heart aches with loneliness, it even causes him physical pain now. And this poor little one has had such a hard life already, and she's so good and devote. I couldn't leave two hearts that need love so much to go without each other."_

"_Even though that boy _will_ have to suffer for the way he has been treating those women he beds. They're not cattle, not matter what their character or breeding they come from. He needs to realize he needs to treat women with some respect or at least decently. Plus it's about time to let him ache with need, and sexual frustration for once." They both snickered. I couldn't help but smile as well. Their mischief was contagious. _

"_For one who supposedly the most merciful, you seem to be unusually cruel to your chosen, my friend. Putting the most luscious bait in front of the starved tiger, and letting it hang in front of him as he is ravaged with hunger."_

"_That I can truly agree to. The woman is so cute! Have you seen her closely? I watch her every morning as she rises, with her head to the sky and her determined jewel eyes! She will carry children well, and pass though the years lithe and young looking, I swear! Such delicate skin, and fine legs! So petite and beautiful! Her hair so unique, here eyes catching and her smile bewitching! She's been hurt, but she is still so open and strong. She'll do nicely don't you think?"_

"_You're right. That innocent face of hers, with her doe eyes and full lips. Those round hips and slim waist. They speak of great fertility and health. And that fiery, wild side that comes from her temper, she'll be a passionate lover for sure! Enough I may wager to keep up with him in battle and more importantly in bed!" The comment made me blush for some reason, quite hotly may I add, as another whoop of laughter came from both woman._

"_But let us stop for now, no matter how entertaining this may be. The poor girl has been tormented for the last fortnight by us. The little thing is a bit more sensitive to us than most, but than again why wouldn't she be under the teachings to become an oracle."_

"_Oh well, if we must. I keep forgetting how fragile mortals can be, no matter how bold their manners may appear."_

_With a sigh the more pleasant voice spoke into my ear, whispering of peace and starry nights and lullabies._

"_Good night, sweet child, the sun will rise for you, I promise...."_

I woke gasping to the gong, the hurried feet of my fellows as they bathed and dressed for our ususal duties. I shook in shock, goose pimples rising, the hair on the back of my neck rising as almost magical spirts traveled down my spine. What had I just experienced, so vividly and so consciously. The pounding of running feet past my door woke me from my stupor, reminding me of my duties.

I looked to the window, and gave a cry. It was way past my ususal rising time. I descended on my things like ravaged beast on a kill, tearing threw my clothes and trying to look decent as quickly as possible. I splashed cold water on my face, and put all thoughts of disembodied voices, dreams and foreboding feelings to the back of mind as with a shake of my hair and a knot of my sash and I was running down the hallways as if the fires of Yomi were at my heels. I would surely be severely scolded!

I was so late!

* * *

I grumbled at my back pain before I set out for my morning chores, thankfully indoor activities, such as handing out talismans and burning incense offerings. The morning meeting had gone in an unexpected way. My tardiness had been ignored, because the miko had been in a tizzy amongst themselves, as if drunk from to many festival cups of sake. I grumbled, my dream still hanging over my head like a dark cloud, like a burden I couldn't shake. I then rubbed my ears, trying to get some hearing back into them after all the other girls high pitched squealing.

It would appear His Greatness, the Lord Shogun, would be visiting our little temple in three days time. Yet for some reason I was filled with a fluttering trepidation at the prospect.

It was as if some great change were around the horizon like Yamato-Guji had predicted.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Note: I own my plot line and story! As well as some OCs too.**

**A/N: I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to my dear reviewers. You should be happy to know that this story is picking up nicely, and I should update soon. Again you guys are so great, and I'm so greatful!**


	3. Mist

**Note**: This story is very AU and OOC, but the characters will become more of themselves as the story goes on. The changing perspectives is to make a dimensional twist on how the character is feeling and how an observer would see the situation, so I hope that clears up an tense confusion for my beloved readers. I will however make an effort to make the story perspectives less confusing.

Terms:

Okaa-sama: A formal term for "mother"

Bakasame- Literally "stupid shark"

Chichui-Formal address of how to say father, not how you address a patriarch of the family

Miko: Shrine maidens

Guji- The title given to a priest who was in charge of a Shinto shrine

Chapter 3: _Mist_

* * *

_**Sakura~**_

"Come at me!"

The clang of metal could be heard.

"Is that all you've got?!" There was a lilt of friendliness in the teasing voice, though the words were mocking.

"Why don't you stay still and see! I'll come for you soon enough!" Playful laughter was exchanged between the two sparring partners, their amusement filling the secluded thicket.

Our blades met in a square duel, I pressed thinly forward, a leg placed strongly behind me so I could anchor and then direct my body anyway I wanted to. My opponent also pressed herself forward, with a natural grace that I had so often admired in her. With another clang we came apart, our sword dance momentarily put on hold as she finally gave a signal for a short rest, and I panted.

Beautiful coffee brown hair strung up in two buns, with keen chocolate eyes and a slender, but muscled frame, TenTen was the idol image of a woman and a weapons master. Though I was jealous of her height, TenTen had always treated me like I was her equal, height or not height. I had grown up with her in these mountains, where nature provided a sanctuary from humanity, where there was a kind of serenity painted in the great forests and a power in the misty peaks of the mountains. It was here in this very thicket that we met many years ago as children, and our friendship had been a secret ever since. Though TenTen's family knew of our friendship, no one at the temple, save Abbot Retsu knew of my socialization with the village blacksmith's daughter.

It was only later in even more secrecy that TenTen started to school me, as her father had early on taught her, to wield many different weapons. _Miko_ were predisposed to know some kind of archery and some even carried a tanto hidden in out sleeves if we were harassed. It was through TenTen's teachings, and my own ingenuity during my chores that I grew in strength and practice. For two years TenTen had sparred with me, and gradually I could wield weapons in quite a satisfactory way. I prided myself on my archery and tanto fighting, but it was TenTen's katana training that really stirred my curiosity.

However, TenTen had the natural flow to her body for weapons, a kind of sense for steel and tools. She also had an inane sense of how to turn everyday objects into deadly projectiles or close combat weapons.

Not even Abbot Retsu could compare to the companionship TenTen provided me with. She was a great friend and gave wonderful advice, being my senior by two years, she has some experience of the world I didn't possesses. Only she knew of my own past with my family, though I often loved spending time with her own instead. Her father looked large and intimidating with all his muscles and glaring dark eyes, but he was a good man and a fine father. TenTen's sweet mother was dutiful and kind to me, and had often opened her home to me. I was very grateful I had this one secret thing that my own world couldn't spoil.

I rubbed the sweat from my brow, suddenly light headed and slightly lethargic. I almost stumbled back, but I caught myself before I could fall, blinking dizzily. I huffed from my muscle exertion, hoping TenTen hadn't noticed my momentary slip. She was often a bit to observants for her own good, and could usually see right through my lies or defenses. For a few days I had been trying to hide my insomnia, but it would seem simply playing by our ususal schedule of training every three days or so had been a bad idea for my body. I sighed deeply, and blinked the sweat out of my eyes.

"Your dreams are still haunting you." I looked up quickly, sword at the ready, but relaxed when I viewed TenTen's stern and concerned eyes. That had been a statement, not a question, said with a surety that only TenTen could come up with. So she had seen my near stumble, and it would seem I was about to get an ear full of scolding from my now appointed mother hen.

"I'm guessing it would be futile to deny your claim, since we both know its true." I replied to her inquiry/statement calmly, though I mentally prepared myself for the tongue-lashing to come. However, TenTen did not explode like she has last time she had learned of my sickness, but rather sighed and rubbed her temples in concentration. It was face she usually wore when she was deeply contemplating something. She silently offered me the rest of her water, which I greedily drank, but kept an eye on my friend.

"Do you think the gods are trying to tell you something?" I gave her a side glance, my own theories coming into play. I sighed and rubbed my neck, my back aching, even after all the stretching I had done.

"Perhaps, but I doubt it. I only catch certain voices and sentences. But it's the awareness, a kind of cold feeling, like spiders climbing all over me. It's as if something's going to happen or someone is watching me all the time. It's like I can't find peace, even in my own head. It upsets me greatly, and the feeling just pushes me to not be able to feel safe enough to really deeply sleep." TenTen looked to me in sympathy, and I was touched that she looked torn as to how to help me. I gave her a tired, warm smile, thankful.

"Don't worry TenTen. I'll be going to the Abbot and try to find answers soon enough. For now just trust me in letting me do this on my own." She looked quite unsure. I guess I should have been slightly offended by her disbelief.

"I can't help but worry, you know that. It's just I feel like your so fragile right now, and I don't want you to get hurt. " I tried to look reassuring to her.

"You needn't worry Ten-chan. I'm sure I'll be able to get a good night sleep soon, plus that great herbal tea of your _okaa-sama_'s does the trick every time!" I have her my best smile, while inside I highly doubted I would find some kind of semblance of sleep. However, her mother's tea was delicious, and I often coveted it so....It was just so good......

"TenTen! Sakura! Come take a break!" A fluent, clear voice cut through the tense atmosphere. I mentally sighed in relief at the interruption. Speak of the devil.... My face lit up, and I smirked teasingly at TenTen.

"Race you!" I cried out childishly, speeding off towards her house. TenTen started and then huffed as she raced to catch up with me.

"No fair!" She cried happily, and knew that while the subject had not been forgotten, we had set our moods on a more happier note. I laughed suddenly, as if such a function was spontaneous. TenTen's laughter joined in, like it had been when we were kids. As we neared her house, both of us neck and neck, I felt that perhaps it would actually be alright, something I had not felt in two weeks.

* * *

[**Itachi**]

I had woken up early that morning, much earlier then even for me, but it was not my sheer enthusiasm to reach one of our last destinations. It had to do with that damned ache in my chest, right between my ribs, nestled snugly against my lungs. It was as if a weight had settled on only that one point, and it was so damned annoying. I heard my men ready for the day, and began to dress myself. We were on the road after all, there was hardly enough time for the ususal finery of my life, such as dressing women and a nice bath. We all would replenish our supplies at as we finally cleared a quarter of the mountain range, since there was a good sized village right near the shrine.

I sighed tiredly, for I hadn't slept all that well the night before, armed myself and made way out of my tent for my servants to take down and store. I had prayed almost feverishly into the night, trying to rid myself of my odd feelings and sensations. I chocked it up to pent up sexual need, and a lack of regular outdoor exercise or activity. As I ate my plain travel fare, I listened to Kisame and Hidan ramble on.

They were an odd pairing to pick to go on the tour with me, but they both suited a purpose. Kisame, an actually blue-skinned man with shark features and a giant chakra eating sword, was my most trusted "body guard" and comrade. We had known each other for sometime, and I trusted him with my life. Hidan was another story all together, in a sort of delusional, "how the fuck did this guy even come to be?" sort of way. A foreign deity worshiper with a pension for too much human sacrificing and cussing, described Hidan. Yet he was extremely useful, had odd powers, even "immortality" and had a crude charm to him that made him rather alright to be around as a warrior and comrade. He got on rather well with Kakuzu, but Kisame had insisted in coming with me. Thus I was charged with making sure Hidan didn't kill **another** partner, and to not let Kisame shave Hidan slowly away before he could complete his dark god circle to gain his immortality.

What I wouldn't give for one of the upscale brothels from the capital. My men and I had been deprived of any "company" for a week and a half, after we had stopped at a small mountain village before we had started up the summit of the mountain. While I had enjoyed the company of many fine "ladies", I could feel a touch of blue balls coming on. I was slightly addicted to sex, since at home or when I usually traveled, I could choose the women who would come with me to keep me sated and my palate was always fed. Since this was a "holy pilgrimage", I could not bring my ususal "stash" with me. And while I could suffer in silence, my fellows didn't seem to have the restraint or patience.

" By the gods, I'm going to go insane if I don't release some of this tension." Hidan huffed at Kisame's dismayed tone. I sighed.

"Would you shut up, _bakasame_! I don't need to hear about your fucking-dumbass blue balls problem! Sex with any fucking whore is deemed sacrilege, dumbass. I can mouth-fuck any girl I want, but I ain't eaten any infected pussy of any cunt." Hidan actually looked proud that all he could receive was oral sex. I smirked dryly, he didn't know what he was missing.

" Some god you got there, you silver-haired bastard. Not even letting you enjoy yourself."

"I'd take Jashin-sama's grace then for some big tits and ripe ass any day. But I can't wait to get to the at shrine. Maybe I can sacrifice a few virgins to Jashin-sama." Kisame laughed in mock amusement.

"Some habit you got there." Hidan glared his bejeweled purple eyes at my head bodyguard.

" At least I'm human looking, not some fish demon trying to appear in human skin asswipe." Kismae growled.

" Shut your fucking mouth you gay, lily-ass fucker. Like you could score with any self-respecting woman! They all runaway in terror cause of your own freakish looks and damned psychopathic, overzealous religious manic attitude of yours!" They both grabbed their weapons on their backs, ready to brawl in the middle of the damned forest path just coming up into sight ahead of us. I rubbed my temples, and looked back at them with an irritated eye, my pupils already swirling in my Sharingan. They glared daggers at each other before they spontaneously burst into laughter, and I rubbed my forehead in exasperation. It was times like these I felt like a surrogate mother or something. One minute they were at each other's throats, and the next they were the best of comrades. And people said I had emotional issues.

At least I wasn't the one(s) who seemed to have an extreme case of bipolar.

"Man, shark, this is the good times you know. But I can't wait to stop straddling this horse and finally relax fora few days."

"To bad you can't enjoy the "favors" were going to receive at the temple." Hidan smirked hungrily.

"But just image all those pretty, little naive virgin priestesses? It gets me fucking hard just thinking about it even if I can't screw 'em." Kisame and Hidan laughed, exchanging idiotic ideas as to how they would deface the supposed "pretty virgins" and disgrace the girls's virtue. I snorted in a mix of contempt and an odd nostalgia.

While their language was as crude as ever, the idea of taking as many virgins to my bed at once would have once put me in a state of extreme arousal, but now I favored the more practiced woman. That weeping pile of flesh of a virgin from a few weeks ago had been dissatisfying, and to rid myself of her unsavory "flavor" I had tasted my favored courtesans's favors.

Though my physical need was still unsatisfied, the harem of thirty woman had kept me fed enough to go on throughout the day without becoming too frustrated. But perhaps as my men had suggested I would perhaps find a slight reprieve in the form of a nice virgin _miko_ from the Weeping Willow Princess shrine. I smirked dryly, almost bitterly amused as the sex talk behind me continued, of my fate.

Sex had become an addiction, a need, and now after I had taken so many woman, one single one could never satisfy me. I was a man descended and picked from heaven itself, and yet I could never be sated of my need. A great man slowly toppling himself over because of his mere instinctual urges. The most deserving, left cold with want. I gave a cold chuckle.

Never to be satisfied, never to be with company, alone.

* * *

_**Sakura~**_

TenTen and I were chatting over the last of our tea and small sweet cakes when we first the roll of drums and the noise of many horse hooves on the main road through the forest towards the shrine. We looked at each other in confusion before we melted into two stimulus grins.

"The Divine General! The Shogun!"

TenTen voiced what we both had thought, and with that exclamation we both took off to see the great caravan of the most powerful man in all the world. With a sense of bubbling excitement we hid behind the trees thirty feet to see the road as the group started to ascend to the temple, great armored men marching in single, handsome lines , the front bearing the flags of the Uchiha dynasty. Two odd warriors on fine stallions rode proudly in front of the litter, which was decked in the finest cobalt silk, shining gold and blue, like sunlight off a butterfly's wing. I had eyes only for that litter, and with the oddest sense of urgency, went quietly towards the road, even as TenTen protested behind me, even making to grab me by my robes. I felt it very unsettling that I made it to the edge of the road without any guards noticing my close proximity, but pushed it to the back of my mind.

All I could think about was seeing him, this man, this divine supposed being. I crawled into the brush, completely drunk on something, to beguiled to try and let my usually cool logic dictate my movements and thoughts. Because that one moment I tried to pull away from its slipping grasp, whatever it had been, I met the sharp gaze of the most amazing eyes I had ever seen through the mountain mist as it were a curtain to another plane of existence.

* * *

[**Itachi**]

The mist rose up as we ascended the stairs, a sudden keen feeling of fate came onto me again. The mist was like a dewy, white curtain among the forest, heavy with the taste of magic and surrealism. I gazed out from my silk litter, board, but fascinated by the rising clouds of condensation, like we were ascending to heaven itself. The evening air was thick with jasmine suddenly, but it was native flower and I ignored it.

As I gazed into the scenery, a flash of viridian came to my gaze and struck me in fascination. Through the thick mist I saw them, gazing upon me in curiosity as I looked into them. It was only for a second, but I could of sworn that in that short span of time that I had glimpsed sharp emerald eyes of great beauty peering out of the thick brush, looking right into my own red and black ones.

And then like a like an illusion they were gone, gone through the mist, the forest eerily calm and silent, rapping us in her shroud of mist, a milky cloak as we finally neared the high shrine's last staircase. There was a sound of drums, and a ceremonial path was etched for us as we entered the holy ground of the temple, marked by my own flag bearers. After all the shogun must make an entrance, he is the most important man in the world. I let myself vainly primp at the fact for a moment as I took in the shrine. It was medium sized, housing a few hundred individuals, with properly cared for gardens and neat white stone paths.

I could make out the slightly slumped, but proud form of the former Imperial officer now in modest, but superior _guji_ robes. The famed Lady Tsukino Retsu stood calm and sleek next to him, poised and having an air of silent authority. She was a fair woman, yet her eyes were too wise to be considered innocent. So this was the woman my _chichui_ had tried to hard to get to become his concubine once, an imperial wife even, and his own personal oracle. She had refused the Son of Heaven, and had decided to reside here, near her prosperous home village. Since then this village had been a traveling peak for nobility and commoners alike, that and the rumored beauty of the _miko _here.

The lines of the many maidens stared eagerly upon my caravan and myself, their petty little necks craned, eyes sickingly wide, their mouths so open they were drooling. My mouth twitched in a brief grimace of disgust before my usually icy mask came back on. I looked at the chattering birds as I descended with an imposed natural grace from my litter, and I saw the awe, saw the hunger, saw the wonder, saw the damned lust in those beady little eyes. I cast my eyes on them, almost searching, for what I could not tell, and saw nothing extraordinary, just the same simple pretty girls from the country, already in lust with my looks and reputation, my position and my finery.

Had I expected anything different? What had compelled me to think one of these stupid pleasure slaves could be special? Whatever I had wanted to find I had not found in my one search, and that was enough for me to dismiss my usually eager pursuit to find a one girl. I pushed my way to the front, my comrades in proper position and manner for once in their lives.

I inclined my head to Yamamoto, and the ache in my chest increased, like a dull gong humming in my ribcage. I watched in a detached manner as the ceremony went on, to bored and frozen to care other wise. I couldn't get over why I was feeling as if I had missed something, someone important, and that one thought made me feel so lost.

"Welcome, Great Lord Shogun Uchiha Itachi, Balance of the Devine, Descendent of Heaven, brother to the Son of Heaven. Welcome to the Shideareyanagi-Hime-Kami-Ichidou ."

The respected silence they gave at the address did nothing to compel me to answer their greetings. I huffed and bowed my head silently as custom, but that was all.

Welcome indeed.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed, the next chapter should be up in about another week. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Note: I own my OCs, story and plotline.**


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